List of governors of New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor of New Jersey
Coat of arms of New Jersey
Incumbent Phil Murphy since January 16, 2018
Style	Governor (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Status	Head of state Head of government
Residence	Drumthwacket
Seat	Trenton, New Jersey
Term length	Four years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument	New Jersey Constitution of 1776
Precursor	Governor of New Jersey (Great Britain)
Inaugural holder	William Livingston
Formation	August 31, 1776 (250 years ago) (1776-08-31)
Succession	Line of succession
Deputy	Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey

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The Governor of New Jersey is the main leader of the state of New Jersey. They are in charge of the state government and also lead New Jersey's military forces. The Governor makes sure state laws are followed. They can also approve new laws or say 'no' to them (this is called a veto) if the New Jersey Legislature passes them. They can also call the Legislature together for special meetings and forgive people for certain crimes.

The first New Jersey State Constitution was created in 1776. It said that the state legislature would choose the governor each year. Back then, the governor was also the head of the upper part of the legislature, called the Legislative Council.

In 1844, a new constitution changed things. People started voting for the governor directly. The governor no longer led the upper house, which was now called the Senate. The governor's term also became three years long. Governors could not serve right after themselves.

The 1947 constitution made the governor's term four years. It also said that a governor could only be elected for two terms in a row. However, they could run again after a break. Some governors, like Joseph Bloomfield and A. Harry Moore, served more than once, but not always in a row.

The 1776 constitution said that if the governor's job was empty, the vice-president of the Legislative Council would step in. The 1844 and 1947 constitutions then put the president of the Senate next in line. In 2006, a new rule created the job of Lieutenant Governor. This person is elected with the governor and takes over if the governor's office becomes empty. The first Lieutenant Governor started in 2010.

New Jersey has had 56 official governors. Only one of them has been a woman. Some people also served as "acting" governors for a short time. A law signed in 2006 said that acting governors who served for at least 180 days could be counted as full governors. This changed the official numbers for some past governors.

The first and longest-serving governor was William Livingston. He served from 1776 to 1790. A. Harry Moore served the longest as a governor chosen by popular vote. The current and 56th governor is Phil Murphy. He is a Democrat and started his term on January 16, 2018.

Governors of New Jersey

New Jersey was one of the original Thirteen Colonies in America. It became a state on December 18, 1787. Before that, it was a colony of Great Britain.

Before 2010, New Jersey did not have a Lieutenant Governor. If the governor's job was empty or they couldn't do their duties, the president of the State Senate would become the acting governor. This meant one person had power in both the executive (governor's) and legislative (law-making) branches.

The acting governor would serve until a new election was held, or until the governor could return to their duties. If the governor left office less than 16 months before their term ended, the acting governor would serve until the end of that term.

After Governor Christine Todd Whitman resigned in 2001, Donald DiFrancesco became the acting governor. Later, John O. Bennett served as acting governor for a few days. During that time, he signed some laws and held events at Drumthwacket, the governor's home.

Similarly, Richard Codey also served as acting governor in January 2002. Because the State Senate had two co-presidents, both Codey and Bennett took turns being acting governor for three days each. Richard Codey later served as governor from November 2004 to January 2006 after Jim McGreevey resigned.

Because of these changes in leadership, New Jersey voters approved a new rule in 2005. This rule created the job of lieutenant governor of New Jersey. This new position started with the 2009 state elections.

Governors of the State of New Jersey

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			William Livingston (1723–1790)	August 31, 1776 – July 25, 1790 (died in office)	Federalist	1776	Office did not exist
						1777
						1778
						1779
						1780
						1781
						1782
						1783
						1784
						1785
						1786
						1787
						1788
						1789
—			Elisha Lawrence (1746–1799)	July 25, 1790 – October 29, 1790 (successor took office)	Federalist	Vice-president of the Legislative Council acting
2			William Paterson (1745–1806)	October 29, 1790 – May 27, 1793 (resigned)	Federalist	1790
						1791
						1792
—			Thomas Henderson (1743–1824)	May 27, 1793 – June 3, 1793 (successor took office)	Federalist	Vice-president of the Legislative Council acting
3			Richard Howell (1754–1802)	June 3, 1793 – October 31, 1801 (did not run)	Federalist	1793
						1794
						1795
						1796
						1797
						1798
						1799
						1800
4			Joseph Bloomfield (1753–1823)	October 31, 1801 – October 28, 1802 (deadlocked election)	Democratic- Republican	1801
—			John Lambert (1746–1823)	October 28, 1802 – October 27, 1803 (successor took office)	Democratic- Republican	1802
4			Joseph Bloomfield (1753–1823)	October 27, 1803 – October 29, 1812 (did not run)	Democratic- Republican	1803
						1804
						1805
						1806
						1807
						1808
						1809
						1810
						1811
5			Aaron Ogden (1756–1839)	October 29, 1812 – October 29, 1813 (lost election)	Federalist	1812
6			William Sanford Pennington (1757–1826)	October 29, 1813 – June 19, 1815 (resigned)	Democratic- Republican	1813
						1814
—			William Kennedy (1775–1826)	June 19, 1815 – October 26, 1815 (successor took office)	Democratic- Republican	Vice-president of the Legislative Council acting
7			Mahlon Dickerson (1770–1853)	October 26, 1815 – February 1, 1817 (resigned)	Democratic- Republican	1815
						1816
8			Isaac Halstead Williamson (1767–1844)	February 6, 1817 – October 30, 1829 (lost election)	Democratic- Republican	1817
						1818
						1819
						1820
						1821
						1822
						1823
						1824
						1825
						1826
						1827
						1828
—			Garret D. Wall (1783–1850)	October 30, 1829 – November 2, 1829 (declined)	Democratic	1829
9			Peter Dumont Vroom (1791–1873)	November 6, 1829 – October 26, 1832 (lost election)	Democratic
						1830
						1831
10			Samuel L. Southard (1787–1842)	October 26, 1832 – February 27, 1833 (resigned)	Whig	1832
11			Elias P. Seeley (1791–1846)	February 27, 1833 – October 25, 1833 (lost election)	Whig
9			Peter Dumont Vroom (1791–1873)	October 25, 1833 – November 3, 1836 (resigned)	Democratic	1833
						1834
						1835
12			Philemon Dickerson (1788–1862)	November 3, 1836 – October 27, 1837 (lost election)	Democratic	1836
13			William Pennington (1796–1862)	October 27, 1837 – October 27, 1843 (did not run)	Whig	1837
						1838
						1839
						1840
						1841
						1842
14			Daniel Haines (1801–1877)	October 27, 1843 – January 21, 1845 (did not run)	Democratic	1843
15			Charles C. Stratton (1796–1859)	January 21, 1845 – January 18, 1848 (term-limited)	Whig	1844
14			Daniel Haines (1801–1877)	January 18, 1848 – January 21, 1851 (term-limited)	Democratic	1847
16			George Franklin Fort (1809–1872)	January 21, 1851 – January 17, 1854 (term-limited)	Democratic	1850
17			Rodman M. Price (1816–1894)	January 17, 1854 – January 20, 1857 (term-limited)	Democratic	1853
18			William A. Newell (1817–1901)	January 20, 1857 – January 17, 1860 (term-limited)	Republican	1856
19			Charles Smith Olden (1799–1876)	January 17, 1860 – January 20, 1863 (term-limited)	Republican	1859
20			Joel Parker (1816–1888)	January 20, 1863 – January 16, 1866 (term-limited)	Democratic	1862
21			Marcus Lawrence Ward (1812–1884)	January 16, 1866 – January 19, 1869 (term-limited)	Republican	1865
22			Theodore Fitz Randolph (1826–1883)	January 19, 1869 – January 16, 1872 (term-limited)	Democratic	1868
20			Joel Parker (1816–1888)	January 16, 1872 – January 19, 1875 (term-limited)	Democratic	1871
23			Joseph D. Bedle (1831–1894)	January 19, 1875 – January 15, 1878 (term-limited)	Democratic	1874
24			George B. McClellan (1826–1885)	January 15, 1878 – January 18, 1881 (term-limited)	Democratic	1877
25			George C. Ludlow (1830–1900)	January 18, 1881 – January 15, 1884 (term-limited)	Democratic	1880
26			Leon Abbett (1836–1894)	January 15, 1884 – January 18, 1887 (term-limited)	Democratic	1883
27			Robert Stockton Green (1831–1895)	January 18, 1887 – January 21, 1890 (term-limited)	Democratic	1886
26			Leon Abbett (1836–1894)	January 21, 1890 – January 17, 1893 (term-limited)	Democratic	1889
28			George Theodore Werts (1846–1910)	January 17, 1893 – January 21, 1896 (term-limited)	Democratic	1892
29			John W. Griggs (1849–1927)	January 21, 1896 – January 31, 1898 (resigned)	Republican	1895
—			Foster McGowan Voorhees (1856–1927)	January 31, 1898 – October 18, 1898 (resigned)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
—			David Ogden Watkins (1862–1938)	October 18, 1898 – January 17, 1899 (successor took office)	Republican	Speaker of the Assembly acting
30			Foster McGowan Voorhees (1856–1927)	January 17, 1899 – January 21, 1902 (term-limited)	Republican	1898
31			Franklin Murphy (1846–1920)	January 21, 1902 – January 17, 1905 (term-limited)	Republican	1901
32			Edward C. Stokes (1860–1942)	January 17, 1905 – January 21, 1908 (term-limited)	Republican	1904
33			John Franklin Fort (1852–1920)	January 21, 1908 – January 17, 1911 (term-limited)	Republican	1907
34			Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)	January 17, 1911 – March 1, 1913 (resigned)	Democratic	1910
—			James Fairman Fielder (1867–1954)	March 1, 1913 – October 28, 1913 (resigned)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
—			Leon Rutherford Taylor (1883–1924)	October 28, 1913 – January 20, 1914 (successor took office)	Democratic	Speaker of the Assembly acting
35			James Fairman Fielder (1867–1954)	January 20, 1914 – January 16, 1917 (term-limited)	Democratic	1913
36			Walter Evans Edge (1873–1956)	January 16, 1917 – May 16, 1919 (resigned)	Republican	1916
—			William Nelson Runyon (1871–1931)	May 16, 1919 – January 13, 1920 (senate term expired)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
—			Clarence E. Case (1877–1961)	January 13, 1920 – January 20, 1920 (successor took office)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
37			Edward I. Edwards (1863–1931)	January 20, 1920 – January 15, 1923 (term-limited)	Democratic	1919
38			George Sebastian Silzer (1870–1940)	January 15, 1923 – January 19, 1926 (term-limited)	Democratic	1922
39			A. Harry Moore (1877–1952)	January 19, 1926 – January 15, 1929 (term-limited)	Democratic	1925
40			Morgan Foster Larson (1882–1961)	January 15, 1929 – January 19, 1932 (term-limited)	Republican	1928
39			A. Harry Moore (1877–1952)	January 19, 1932 – January 3, 1935 (resigned)	Democratic	1931
—			Clifford Ross Powell (1893–1973)	January 3, 1935 – January 8, 1935 (senate term expired)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
—			Horace Griggs Prall (1881–1951)	January 8, 1935 – January 15, 1935 (successor took office)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
41			Harold G. Hoffman (1896–1954)	January 15, 1935 – January 18, 1938 (term-limited)	Republican	1934
39			A. Harry Moore (1877–1952)	January 18, 1938 – January 21, 1941 (term-limited)	Democratic	1937
42			Charles Edison (1890–1969)	January 21, 1941 – January 18, 1944 (term-limited)	Democratic	1940
36			Walter Evans Edge (1873–1956)	January 18, 1944 – January 21, 1947 (term-limited)	Republican	1943
43			Alfred E. Driscoll (1902–1975)	January 21, 1947 – January 19, 1954 (term-limited)	Republican	1946
						1949
44			Robert B. Meyner (1908–1990)	January 19, 1954 – January 16, 1962 (term-limited)	Democratic	1953
						1957
45			Richard J. Hughes (1909–1992)	January 16, 1962 – January 20, 1970 (term-limited)	Democratic	1961
						1965
46			William T. Cahill (1912–1996)	January 20, 1970 – January 15, 1974 (lost nomination)	Republican	1969
47			Brendan Byrne (1924–2018)	January 15, 1974 – January 19, 1982 (term-limited)	Democratic	1973
						1977
48			Thomas Kean (b. 1935)	January 19, 1982 – January 16, 1990 (term-limited)	Republican	1981
						1985
49			James Florio (1937–2022)	January 16, 1990 – January 18, 1994 (lost election)	Democratic	1989
50			Christine Todd Whitman (b. 1946)	January 18, 1994 – January 31, 2001 (resigned)	Republican	1993
						1997
51			Donald DiFrancesco (b. 1944)	January 31, 2001 – January 8, 2002 (senate term expired)	Republican	Succeeded from president of the Senate
—			John Farmer Jr. (b. 1957)	January 8, 2002 – January 8, 2002 (successor took office)	Republican	Attorney general acting
—			John O. Bennett (b. 1948)	January 8, 2002 – January 12, 2002 (successor took office)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
—			Richard Codey (b. 1946)	January 12, 2002 – January 15, 2002 (successor took office)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
52			Jim McGreevey (b. 1957)	January 15, 2002 – November 15, 2004 (resigned)	Democratic	2001
53			Richard Codey (b. 1946)	November 16, 2004 – January 17, 2006 (did not run)	Democratic	Succeeded from president of the Senate
54			Jon Corzine (b. 1947)	January 17, 2006 – January 19, 2010 (lost election)	Democratic	2005
55			Chris Christie (b. 1962)	January 19, 2010 – January 16, 2018 (term-limited)	Republican	2009		Guadagno, KimKim Guadagno
						2013
56			Phil Murphy (b. 1957)	January 16, 2018 – Incumbent	Democratic	2017		Oliver, SheilaSheila Oliver (died August 1, 2023)
						2021
							Vacant
								Way, TaheshaTahesha Way (appointed September 8, 2023)

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